St. Mary's Collegiate Church

St. Mary's Collegiate Church

St. Mary's Collegiate Church
5
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Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles47 reviews
Excellent
45
Very good
2
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Vee999
Moncton, Canada79 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2019
We stopped at Gowran for a sandwich and wandered across the street to the church where we met Gerry. He gave us his free and fascinating 1- hour tour. If we'd had longer, he could have easily given us more history and background. Gerry genuinely loves Ireland and the church. He makes the past seem like an adventure movie. We loved every second of his tour and will plan to take the next step into the past when we're back in Ireland again.
Written August 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Denise
Killarney, Ireland2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2019 • Couples
Myself and my husband stopped by here yesterday only with the intention of viewing the inside of the church. We were greeted within moments once inside by Gerry, who offered us a 5 min or 5 week guided tour of the place (which is free). We could have easily gone with the 5 week version, so enthralling was his discourse on the history of Ireland through which he highlighted aspects which we'd never been aware of.
We will definitely be returning hopefully later this summer to finish the rest of this discussion - although like his analogy of history as strands of thread which lead back to different outcomes, there may never be a definitive conclusion. We could happily have stayed and listened to the unravelling of each threaded story.
Kilkenny is a beautiful county with many adorable villages to visit. Gowran is certainly among those and whether your curiosity is peaked by history or not, you will most definitely enjoy the story telling skills and deep knowledge which was provided by Gerry.
Written May 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

paulnaessens66
County Dublin, Ireland7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Family
Our second visit this year. This time the chancel rebuilt in 1827 was open (was closed in May visit). Full of fascinating monuments from a cross inscribed ogham stone to medieval (high and late) to Georgian. Fascinating history of the Butlers. The very learned and engaging Gerry guided us. Free entry and guide. The quality of the ruined 13c nave is impressive.
Written June 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Aido_58
Dublin, Ireland5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Couples
Quite by chance when stopped in the beautifully kept village of Gowran, we noticed St Mary's Church. The OPW Guide, Gerry, had just started a free tour with two American visitors and he immediately made us welcome. For the next hour he kept us enthralled with the extraordinary, complex and fascinating story of the Church- making history alive and relevant. He is the most gifted, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable host - a tremendous asset to the OPW. We couldn't recommend Gerry & the whole experience highly enough.
Written August 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Shannon W
Washington DC, DC2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2014 • Friends
This church wasn't listed in any of our guidebooks, or any travel website we checked before our trip, yet it was one of the absolute highlights of our visit. We were merely passing through Gowran on our way to Enniscorthy, but saw the beautiful remnants of the church and decided to stop. Our curiosity was amply rewarded when we entered the grounds and were greeted and given an incredibly thorough tour by the guide, Gerry. Tucked away in this little-advertised 13th century church (restored in the 19th century with uncharacteristic care for the period) are historical treasures including an Ogham stone from the pre- or early Christian era and13th century burial monuments, about which Gerry was able to give us incredible detail, and answer many questions. We learned about the Knights Templar, the history of the Butlers of Kilkenny, circumstances of marriage between English and Irish citizens in the medieval period, and tons more. Very highly recommended, especially if Gerry is your guide!
Written August 19, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sallyfamilyadventure
County Laois, Ireland64 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Family
Myself and the family stopped off and explored the grounds of the church, there was a military talk on inside which had already started, we didn't want to disturb as we had three young boys with us. So we went around and admired the grounds, which is just amazing in itself. The boys loved exploring and we will be back again to view the inside
Written August 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marie
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
I stopped in Gowran as part of the east kilkenny cycle loop and my only regret was that I couldn't stay longer.
The free guided tour from erry was one of the best I had. He's incredibly passionate about the local history and currently writing a PhD on the matter. Very inspiring.
He gave context to the incredible Ogham stone I had struggled finding information on online and I left after a 1h30 tour with stars in my eyes and looking forard to heading home to research it more.
Cannot recommend enough - Thanks for the great experience !
Written August 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Teresa Byrne
Gowran, Ireland1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Friends
I visited St Mary's last week with my brother who was home from the states. We met with Gerry who gave us the most in-depth history of St Mary's Church. The church itself is a hidden treasure with a vast history to be heard. Thanks Gerry, looking forward to returning...
Written June 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

michaelharriott
Exeter, UK25 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Friends
Great talk by gerry on the church and what it means to be Irish. Fantastic and insightful. A must visit if you are on the area.
Written June 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Evie C
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019 • Family
Thank you Gerry for an amazing and very informative tour, so much history in such a little place. Definitely recommend going we will return.
Written June 12, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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St. Mary's Collegiate Church, Gowran

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